Every mother-to-be needs prenatal care. Prenatal care is the regular healthcare you will receive during pregnancy from your doctor, midwife, or other healthcare professional. Prenatal care should begin as early as possible, ideally even before you become pregnant. You may hear this called a preconception visit. At this visit, your doctor will talk about any chronic medical problems and medications. Additional testing may be recommended. Your doctor will discuss your weight gain and exercise.
You will also learn about nutrition, which may including taking prenatal vitamins and
folic acid.

The goal of prenatal care is to monitor the progress of your pregnancy and check for any problems that may occur. Women who get prenatal care have healthier babies and are less likely to have pregnancy-related problems.

Routine Prenatal Care: Your First Pregnancy Visit

You should call to schedule a prenatal visit with your doctor as soon as you realize you are pregnant. After speaking with you, the doctor’s office may suggest seeing you soon, or may suggest a first visit around eight weeks after your last menstrual period.

This first visit will include a physical examination. You will be weighed and have your blood pressure checked. You will also have a pelvic exam, and a
Pap smear
to check for
cervical cancer
and infections. You will provide blood and urine samples for a variety of tests, including tests for infections and anemia.

Your due date will be estimated. You will be advised to start taking prenatal vitamins, if you are not already taking them.

Routine Prenatal Care: Subsequent Visits

After your first prenatal visit, you will schedule one prenatal visit every four weeks until about 28 weeks in your pregnancy. During weeks 28-36, you will schedule visits about every 2-3 weeks. After week 36, you will probably see your doctor every week. Sometimes, there are alternate visits with a clinical provider and with a nurse. The visits are more frequent if you have a high-risk pregnancy.

At these visits, your doctor will weigh you, check your blood pressure, measure and feel your growing abdomen, and check for swelling. After week 12, your doctor will listen to your baby’s heartbeat. You may also have blood tests, urine tests, and/or
ultrasounds.

At each prenatal visit, you should discuss any questions or concerns you have with your doctor.

SyphilisA blood test that checks for the sexually transmitted disease (STD), syphilis, which can be treated so that it will not be transmitted to your baby

RubellaA blood test to see if you have had rubella (German measles) or a rubella vaccination; if you have not, you will be advised to avoid being exposed to the disease while pregnant

Hepatitis B virusA blood test to determine if you have hepatitis B, a viral disease that infects the liver; it can be treated with medications, which must also be given to your baby, along with a vaccine, after birth

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)A blood test to determine if you have been infected with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS; if you have, you will be given medications during pregnancy to reduce the risk that you will pass the infection on to your baby. This test is valuable because of the power of medications to protect the baby.

Urine tests
A laboratory test to check the levels of sugar and protein in your urine, which can help identify gestational diabetes and preeclampsia; urine tests can also check for
bladder
and
kidney infections

Cervical tests
A Pap test to check for precancerous cells in your cervix, and swabs to test for the STDs
gonorrhea
and
chlamydia
.

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Routine tests in pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website. Available at:
http://www.acog.org/~/media/For%20Patients/faq133.pdf?dmc=1&amp;ts=20121227T1019449259. Published January 2014. Accessed March 18, 2014.